Stellenbosch University (SU) hopes to launch a social impact initiative soon to help the small community of Faure rebuild their forgotten village and restore its natural environment.

The project, which will cost an estimated R1,5 million, will be driven by Dr Willem de Clercq and Ms Marlene de Witt of SU’s Water Institute. “Our aim is to rediscover this lost village situated next to the R102 highway between Somerset West and Kuils River,” explains De Clercq. “We hope to involve the staff and students of various SU departments as well as government, the private sector and other communities to bring economic, social and environmental upliftment to Faure. We expect the project to run for approximately five years.”

Since most flowers consist of both male and female parts, they can potentially mate with themselves (self-pollination) or a different plant (outcrossing). But does this process only happen by chance?

While plants are often viewed as relatively passive participants in their own mating process, simply waiting for the birds and the bees to distribute their pollen for them, researchers from Stellenbosch University believe they have found (more) evidence of female choice in plants. In this podcast, Prof Bruce Anderson from the Department of Botany and Zoology will talk about this phenomenon, and how they managed to describe it using different colored quantum dots to track pollen movement between Wachendorfia paniculata flowers and their pollinators.

On Tuesday 25 May we celebrate Africa Day. In this podcast, Dr Chris Jones from the Unit of Moral Leadership talks about some of the challenges regarding democracy, governance, development, and economic conditions that many African countries will have to overcome if they want to achieve lasting prosperity.

Stellenbosch University

Since some children in South Africa don’t have books at home or at school, it’s not surprising that they struggle to read well enough to expand their knowledge of the world. In this podcast, Dr Zelda Barends from the Department of Curriculum Studies talks about how the I CAN READ programme helps to improve the reading and writing skills of learners.

Stellenbosch University.

With fake news, conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxers on the rise, Prof Faadiel Essop from the Department of Physiological Sciences and the Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa reflects on what this means for the future of science in a post-truth world.

Monday 3 May is World Press Freedom Day. In this podcast, Dr Marenet Jordaan from the Department of Journalism and Alexander Brand, Editor-in-chief of the student-run community news publication MatieMedia, talk about how ordinary South Africans can help to uphold media freedom and protect it against a diverse array of threats.

Stellenbosch University

Saturday 1 May is International Workers’ Day. In this podcast, Dr Daniel le Roux from the Cognition and Technology Research Group talks about the impact of automation in the workplace and what we can do to cope with it.

Stellenbosch University

The theme for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day (Monday 26 April) is “IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market”. In this podcast, CEO of the Stellenbosch University LaunchLab Josh Romisher talks about how this incubator and entrepreneurial services platform helps to turn ideas, research and intellectual property into high-impact and sustainable companies.

Wednesday (26 April) is World Creativity and Innovation Day. In this podcast, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies Prof Eugene Cloete highlights the importance of innovation and creativity in research and entrepreneurship.

Dr Morne Moster, the director for The Institute for futures research, shares his thought on creativity.